SNS 167: Saturday Night Special - Interview with Felice Mathieu author of A Christian Marriage Guide

[00:00:00] Scott Maderer: Welcome to tonight's Saturday Night special episode 167.

[00:00:05] Felice Mathieu: I'm Felice Mathieu, and I challenge you to invest in yourself, invest in others, develop your influence and impact the world by using your time, your talent, and your treasures to live out your calling. Having the ability to build a strong relationship in your marriage is key, and one way to be inspired to do that is to listen to this The Inspired Stewardship Podcast with my friend Scott Maderer.

[00:00:34] Poor communication in marriage that's easily the number one problem. And I know a lot of people say money and un faithfulness or disrespect and or romance and yeah, those are factors, but guess what? Usually it's how you're talking about that. It's your lack of understanding, revolving around that.

[00:00:52] And how do you bridge those understanding. Communication.

[00:00:56] Scott Maderer: Welcome and thank you for joining us on the Inspired Stewardship [00:01:00] Podcast. If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent, and your treasures for your true calling. In the Inspired Stewardship Podcast, who will learn to invest in yourself, invest in others, and develop your I.

[00:01:18] So that you can impact the world.

[00:01:21] In tonight's Saturday Night special, I interview Fes Matthew about his journey to focusing on helping make strong marriages. I also ask Fes about his faith journey as well, and Felic also shares with you the number one reason that marriages fail and what you can do. One area that a lot of folks need some help with is around the area of productivity.

[00:01:47] Getting not just more things done, but actually getting the right things done can be really tough. I've got a course called Productivity for Your Passion that's [00:02:00] designed to help you do this and then to hold you accountable and walk with you so that you can tailor productivity, not just to be getting more done, but actually getting the right things done.

[00:02:14] What's more, we take the approach of looking at your personality and how you actually look at things in the world and tailor the productivity system to your person. Because the truth is, a lot of the systems that are out there are written really well for somebody with a particular personality type. But if you have a different approach to things, they just don't work.

[00:02:36] But there's tools and techniques and approaches that you can take that will work for anyone, and we help you do that and productivity for your passion. Check it out over@inspiredstewardship.com slash launch. Felic is doing his part to work to keep whole families whole as an orphan himself. At the age of 13, he wants to help spouses tackle the most [00:03:00] difficult challenges in marriages so that those marriages become stronger.

[00:03:04] He believes that stronger marriages create stronger communities, and we need stronger. Especially in the black community. He's the author of a Christian marriage guide and his journey from being angry with God to having a deep faith, it's an integral part of that journey. Welcome to the

[00:03:21] Felice Mathieu: show Fe. Hello.

[00:03:24] Hello. Thanks for having me.

[00:03:25] Scott Maderer: Absolutely. So would you talk to us a little bit about how your journey has brought you to the point of working on and helping to make stronger marriages? We talked a little bit in the intro about how that's your message, but why is that the area you've chosen to work on?

[00:03:43] Felice Mathieu: I believe it's my purpose.

[00:03:45] Honestly it's my purpose. And a little backstory. My mother died of HIV when I was 12 for the year and a half leading up to her death. I saw her dying in front of me, and I remember praying to [00:04:00] God, Oh I promise I won't touch girls butts if you just save my mother. That was a real prayer, right?

[00:04:07] She died anyway. And then I had her turning away from God. I never knew my real father, my stepfather, he was murdered in Haiti a few months after my mother died, and then that leaves, the only other blood relative that I knew was my grandle and my grand uncle died a few months after that of diabetes.

[00:04:28] By age 13. I was an orphan. So now there's two ways. As I'm going through counseling school, there's a lot, a whole lot of introspective work that you have to do. And there's two ways that could have went that I'm learning now. Either I would've had a hard time forming relationships, right?

[00:04:44] Commitment issues and form relationships or bonds in any way. I'll just turn away or I would become obsessed with it. I became obsess. Relationships. I was the kid reading men from Mars and women are from Venus. Like a teenage kid reading [00:05:00] that. That's just not common.

[00:05:01] And I was watching these movies and I was interviewing people, basically the same thing that I do now on social media. I was doing it. Why? Because I had a strong, intense desire, right? That never perished to this. To have a marriage to not only have a marriage, but to keep a marriage.

[00:05:19] Cuz I wanted to have six kids, I wanted a basketball starting lineup, , that's originally what I wanted. Side note, everybody. That's probably not what you wanna lead with looking for a girlfriend when you're younger. Hey, I don't want a girlfriend. I don't want a wife with six kids, spoiler alert, probably.

[00:05:36] Scott Maderer: At least the second date before you . Yeah,

[00:05:39] Felice Mathieu: yeah. Spoiler alert. I didn't have many girlfriends. But anyways, so I wanted a marriage, I wanted a marriage at last, and I wanted that to be the environment that my children would grow up in, especially. I didn't grow up with that, and especially since I lived in a community where a lot of other kids didn't grow up with that, and I seen the effects of it, [00:06:00] so I really did a lot of research and questions and I was writing notebook like questions on notebooks and middle school and high school and even college and having people fill out these surveys, I guess personal data.

[00:06:13] And I made all these observations and that's eventually led me to do spoken word poetry. I just took my observations and I put it into poetry. I see men that want to be men, but these men are just wanna be men that pretend to be men. So please, men at ease. Men, being a man doesn't consist of consistent plans of deceiving women and releasing.

[00:06:34] See men, I see men that get chills from children instead of instilling the skills of wisdom in them, they let paper bills raise them. They support their child through child support and think, Yo that's really how you raised them. And expect children appraise. Being a father's just a phrase to them.

[00:06:51] They're like, Eh, why bothers just a phase to them and this predicament. I predict men that dollars don't make sense. Men, since it's just [00:07:00] senseless, I see women who, woman try to rule me Tarzan, man and try to tame him, rearrange him. See their aim is to change him. Change him, like colors on leaves when those trees go through seasons, but semen.

[00:07:14] Once we change men, that's when we become LA to. Fellows wonder why. The truth is underlined, It's a shame, but it's no lie, it's just a game to them. So I took all these observations of, and all this passion and that's what led to the poetry. And ironically, I was the one who wasn't really in relationships, but I was the go to guy for relationships, advice.

[00:07:36] And that's really what, how I got into. being obsessed with stronger creating stronger marriages. And now I'm pursuing that not only spiritually or personally, but academically by becoming a marriage and family license. I'm in grad school right now. I become a licensed marriage and family therapist.

[00:07:55] You

[00:07:56] Scott Maderer: mentioned that formative experience you [00:08:00] had in your youth with becoming an orphan and going through that how was your faith journey during that experience and now looking back on it as an adult, how did that intersect? With those experiences?

[00:08:13] Felice Mathieu: When I was younger, I want nothing to do with God.

[00:08:16] There was never a point by the grace of God where I never believed that he exists. By the grace of God. There was never that point. I've always had some type of relationship with him and I always had some type of connection with him. I could tell you stories where the timing of things happened is just God, right?

[00:08:33] But when my mother died, I turned away, and then when my my stepfather got murdered, I turned away. And when my granduncle died, I was, I don't want to hear from God, right? The typical why me, the typical argument, that's probably the strongest. If there really is a guy, then why is so much evil?

[00:08:51] I was in that camp, the Joe, why raising your fist in the air. Why God, You're questioning someone who created time. [00:09:00] Why did you know so I, that was that, but then I had. A best friend, and I still have him to this day named Matthew. And Matthew would just always talk about God.

[00:09:10] I would threaten to hang up on the phone when we were on the phone. I would I don't wanna hear it. He would always talk about God. And so he was pivotal in that regard. Fast forward, my wife's father is a pastor and he's the one that led me to Christ. So when I think of He that finds a wife, finds a good thing.

[00:09:28] I know nowadays I think there's a little arrogance by women cuz now they're thinking that they're the solely the good thing. And women, you are special.

[00:09:36] I

[00:09:36] Felice Mathieu: love you. Yes. And I get it. But I think that good thing has more to do than just you. That good thing is a good wife orders your steps. Or helps God, assist God in ordering his steps.

[00:09:48] And that's what my wife is to me, even to this day. And so yeah, that's how I crossed back to, that was through my father, father-in-law Before, after you

[00:09:59] Scott Maderer: got

[00:09:59] Felice Mathieu: married? [00:10:00] I found God before I got married. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. I don't think he was having that But I dunno. Yeah. I don't think he was having that.

[00:10:07] But yeah I found God before and then I. And I was baptized a month after my wedding. Oh, okay.

[00:10:15] Scott Maderer: Awesome. Yeah. Yeah, I think most people listening to it would understand if you started that sentence with you were angry at God at the beginning because I think you have every right to feel that emotion and people forget sometimes.

[00:10:30] If you read the Bible you talk about Joe, but even Jeremiah there, there's plenty of times that people in the Bible are angry with God and to God too. It's not, it's, that's not a, that's not just a modern experience, I'm afraid.

[00:10:43] Felice Mathieu: Right?

[00:10:44] Scott Maderer: Absolutely. I always just remind people that God is big enough to understand your anger too, because we're made in, we're made in God's image and that includes sometimes that. So let's talk a little bit about marriage. This is an area [00:11:00] that you've been studying and focused in and paying attention to for basically your whole life, or at least as your teen years.

[00:11:07] What, from your observations, what do you see as the number one problem facing marriages today?

[00:11:14] Felice Mathieu: Oh it's, without a question, poor communication in marriage, it's not even close. It's not even close. And so much so I challenge people to do their own personal survey. Ask 20 people what do you think the most difficult aspect is in a relationship or in a marriage?

[00:11:33] And give them like five choices, right? Just to help them narrow their mindsets. Cuz the answer could be anything, right? So I would say without question, it'd be, Poor communication in marriage. That's easily the number one problem. And I know a lot of people say money and un faithfulness or disrespect and, or romance and yeah, those are factors, but guess what?

[00:11:58] Usually it's [00:12:00] how you're talking about that. It's your lack of understanding, revolving around that, and how do you bridge those understandings? Communication. And I even challenge the audience, right? If you're listening this I have a challenge for you as 20 people. , what the number one issue is in the relationship, whether it's past or present, whether the relationship is just boyfriend, girlfriend, or marriage.

[00:12:22] And give them a list. And the only reason I want to give a list is to just kind help them focus on what the question is asking. Say money between poor money management skills, lack of fulfillment, sexually, romantically spiritual problems support, disrespect and say poor communi. and look at what the data shows.

[00:12:45] I'm, I have rarely seen someone not say poor communication, and if they don't, if they say other, the other areas, My follow up question is usually, okay is finances really the problem or is it how you communicate about the finances? Is it the [00:13:00] understanding or what's not being understood about the finances?

[00:13:02] If Yeah. What it is a communication about it and . It's, yeah. It's not close. It's not close at. I actually

[00:13:12] Scott Maderer: coach a lot of co couples on money because that's one of the areas that I coach in and I'll tell you to back you up a little bit more. What we usually discover is money is the symptom, not the problem.

[00:13:22] And you're right. More often than not, the bigger problem is not just communication. The, it's results even in communication, but that idea of aligning what are our priorities, what are our values, where are we going? And all of that revolves around can you actually talk to each other and get on the same page and understand each other.

[00:13:44] Because you have different families of origin, you have different histories, you have different we grew up different and I always point out to people, Let me see if you would agree with this. If there's two of you in the relationship and y'all actually act and think 100% the same, then in some ways one of you is [00:14:00] not needed.

[00:14:00] You actually wanna celebrate the difference as opposed to be angry about the difference. And yet, more often than not, we're angry about it.

[00:14:08] Felice Mathieu: Yes. And that gets so deep that could have its own show. . I really wanna remember that for after this show, and I wanna talk to you about,

[00:14:16] Scott Maderer: So what then if communication's that big problem, what then is the solution

[00:14:21] Felice Mathieu: selflessness?

[00:14:23] You know what that, that is like a bridge from what we just talked about. So the audience is in for a treat So you get to peak on what we could have talked about after the show, but remember how you just said, how bridging those basically, in my own words, is bridging those differences.

[00:14:38] Accepting those differences How do you self those differences? What's one way selflessness, And what do I mean by that? That can go everywhere, right? What exactly do I mean by that? In this context? Keep in mind that yourself is now divinely intertwined with another self. So now you [00:15:00] have to think about all the things in your marriage that matters to y'all.

[00:15:05] Has to be both of y. Getting fairly and respectfully heard and compromised with it has to work like that. If not, it does create a the other side of selflessness, which is selfishness and almost good 80 to 90% of the time The core problem. Of people communicating effectively in marriage fairly and respectfully is selfishness because I'm thinking about my view primarily, and here's why it's more important than yours.

[00:15:42] Here's why I should have it. Here's why yours makes no sense, right? Yeah. So you gotta bridge those worlds. No longer two, but one flesh is a very deep verse to. I'm shocked at how many people don't see it. Cuz I'm like, [00:16:00] am I just, am I looking too much into this? But yeah, every time I hear someone say it, in other words, I'm like, But so what you mean is no longer two but one flesh is what you're saying?

[00:16:09] Yeah. Yeah. I don't feel heard. I don't feel understood. Oh, he don't listen to me or she only focuses on her. What about me? Happy wife, Happy life is selfish. Which it is, right? But yes, selflessness is definitely it starts showing that course. So

[00:16:25] Scott Maderer: what then can people do about it? You've talked about selfishness, selflessness.

[00:16:31] How do people move in that direction when they're having conflicts around communication? What are some tips?

[00:16:39] Felice Mathieu: Pick a topic. Give me a topic.

[00:16:42] Scott Maderer: Money, just cuz that's one that I hear a lot.

[00:16:45] Felice Mathieu: All right. So two people are sitting together, husband and. Send in a room, undistracted. Each of you have a blank sheet of paper and something to write with.

[00:16:55] The topic is money. You put money on the top of line, both of you. And [00:17:00] then what do you envision? How do you feel money managers should be from how you spend it daily to how you wanna spend it in the future to anything. What you want to get that you need and what you want to get that you just.

[00:17:12] This is how you view it. This is how you see it. This is how you feel it should go. And the topic is money that's written on the top line, right? Switch papers and try to meet one thing on the line. Wholly, sincerely, respectfully, unselfishly for each other. It's really not that. The hard thing about marriage isn't marriage just to imperfect people in marriage.

[00:17:39] Scott Maderer: I don't know what you're talking about. I'm perfect ,

[00:17:42] Felice Mathieu: perfectly imperfect, right? Oh my God. I

[00:17:45] Scott Maderer: know. We're close to perfect and I will tell you that, Forget asking my wife, I'll tell you that right about the only person who thinks I'm perfect is my dog. And that's just cuz my dog thinks everybody's perfect.

[00:17:56] As long as you feel.

[00:17:58] Felice Mathieu: There you go.

[00:17:58] Scott Maderer: [00:18:00] You know what's interesting is there's an exercise that I do with couples whenever we're working on money that actually is each going off separately and answering some specific questions about money and their worldview on money. And then that's exactly what I have 'em do is switch papers.

[00:18:15] And then look at 'em. And oftentimes what people are like, we're nowhere close to the same page. We're argue about money all the time. And then when they look at what the other person wrote, they're like, Oh wow, there's actually a lot here that's in common. It turns out that we've got more in common than we thought but again, like you said, the problem is we're not talking about it, before we go on, do you wanna tell people what you're thinking about when you said you, you wanna have a conversation about something else?

[00:18:41] Felice Mathieu: Oh. That was similar to, that was similar to what I just brought up, but it's those differences.

[00:18:46] Accepting the differences. Exception. Accepting the fact that you have a strength, they have a weakness, but in their weakness it may shock on your strength and vice versa. Different is not always bad. All right. Them seeing [00:19:00] it a different way or doing things a different way is not always bad.

[00:19:02] You're not always right. . So yeah, it's accepting those differences without losing your individuality. That I think is another key for becoming one flesh. So that you are no longer two but one flesh. So I've got a few questions that I like to ask all of my guests, but before I move to that, is there anything else you'd like to share with the listener about the work you do?

[00:19:24] Scott Maderer: The any of the material that you've got out or your book. I know you've got a Christian marriage guide, but we mentioned in the intro. Anything else you'd like to share with the listener?

[00:19:33] Felice Mathieu: Yes I tend to ramble a lot everyone, so forgive me. But before I share all those other things, if you are looking to take action.

[00:19:42] I encourage you to really look at selflessness, think of all the areas in your life, whether there's sex, romance, respect, trust, taking care of the kids', responsibilities, whatever it is, and look at those topics and see how many of those topics actually evolve? How both of you [00:20:00] feel about it, or is it primarily you or is it primarily them?

[00:20:03] That's really, it's gonna set you in the right direction of arguing less in marriage, which. The focus of my basic book is about a Christian Mari guide promoting unity and preventing arguments in a Christian marriage. So I'm trying to tackle that problem. And if you work on selflessness that's a huge key to that.

[00:20:22] And honestly, a lot of people that reach out to me, I give them a free copy of my pdf. I'm, I do a pretty good job at reaching out to him to see if there's anything I could clarify. Is there anything that, that can help out? If you wanna reach out to me on Facebook, Merit is one and say that you heard the podcast here, right?

[00:20:41] And give me a follow at Merit is one, and then I'll send you a free copy of my book. And then the coaching comes in to where sometimes you may be someone at the gym's trying to lose. But you don't know what machine to do and how often and what intensity, what do you put in your body, How much rest do you get?

[00:20:59] That's where the coach [00:21:00] is for, right? So I'm here to help shorten the time and the arguments and the frustrations that it takes to build these skills and communication. So could always reach out to me at. Married as one. Give the page a follow. And that's really important to me cuz I'm trying to build a community that can change communities, especially in the black community.

[00:21:24] It's bad out here.

[00:21:25] Scott Maderer: So one of the questions I like to ask everybody my brand is inspired stewardship and I run things through that lens of stewardship, and yet I've discovered that's a word that means different things to different people. For you, when you hear the word stewardship, what does that mean to you and what has its impact been on your life

[00:21:42] Felice Mathieu: using what God gave you to serve his body of believers?

[00:21:49] That's what I think of when I think of stewardship. Our gifts was not for us, for the edifying of the church. So that's what I think of. If you hoard. [00:22:00] Your talents and your gifts, you're not serving the church. If you boast on yourself about your talents and your gifts, you're not serving the church.

[00:22:06] So when I think of stewardship, whatever it is, everybody has a different function within the body of the church. And I love that parallel in scripture. I love it so much cuz it's people can look at something as simple as a pinky, right? Oh I'd do without a pinky in my life.

[00:22:23] But then you probably never grip things the same way. Something as simple as. Is important, and I think every function in the body or church is important. If you were called to be a paper cup maker, you be the best paper cup maker. God caused you and empowered you to be, and you serve these events and churches and concerts and volunteer opportunities and charities.

[00:22:44] You do that. You're called to do a doctor. Great. Called to be someone who works nine to five for 50 years. Great. That's stability, That's taking care of your family and all these things. So I think of serving, really serving his body. That's what I think [00:23:00] of when I think of stewardship and managing that.

[00:23:02] And I think it comes to many forms.

[00:23:04] Scott Maderer: So here's my favorite question, though. A lot of my guests tell me it's not their favorite, so we'll see what you think of it. If I invented this magic machine and I was able to pluck you from the seat where you are today and transport you into the future a hundred to 150 years, and through the power of this machine, you were able to look back on your whole life and see all of the connections, all of the ripples, all of the impacts that you've left behind, what impact do you hope you've left on the

[00:23:30] Felice Mathieu: world?

[00:23:30] I want to. More marriages together, happily and honestly, it's keeping people in love or keeping people in a state to where they don't regret their marriage. And that's not really my focus. I know it sounds crazy, but you born, you a marriage clown and you, My focus is thinking of the next generation.

[00:23:57] I'm thinking of the next generation of kids. [00:24:00] I'm more concerned with that than if the couples who said I do than the couples who said, I do. I'm more concerned with that. Cause nowadays it's celebrities and social media that they're raising this generation and you know how they're raising them.

[00:24:13] They're raising them to no longer believe in a monogamous relationship, a godly inspired relationship. They don't believe in the Bible. Oh, that's just someone who wrote it, right? They don't believe in Jesus. Oh, that he was just some other man that was had some basic teaching. They don't believe in one person, one, one man, and one woman.

[00:24:32] Cuz now they're redefining marriage, right? It can be anybody, anytime. As long as you love each other there's none of that belief anymore. So if I look back, I would love to have did my part and partnered with people along the way that are going to create stronger marriages for stronger communities so that the next generation may be what the Gen Z generation could have better statistics for marriage.

[00:24:57] That's currently happening. I would love to [00:25:00] be known for that and not just known for doing that, but be an example of that in my own marriage too. That's important to me. It starts with me first. If I could do If I could fulfill that vision with the other generations, but my marriage was horrible, I'd give up all that vision cuz it starts with me, right?

[00:25:20] I want my wife to be happy with me and I want God to be happy with how I'm leading my wife with what I'm teaching. That matters first. But yes, if I could have both of them I'll definitely consider myself blessed in this lifetime, especially since I grew up thinking I had no. I felt like God just forgot about me.

[00:25:39] I look around, I see singers, I see artists. I see athletes. 2, 3, 4, smart athletes. I see this guy. He could play anything on a keyboard that he hears. The very first time I see artists who can draw something, got a thin air like I'm watching tv. I said, God I know I'm a little funny, but I don't think I'm funny enough to be a comedian.

[00:25:59] So that's not my [00:26:00] gift. But then when I think about my. And I think about what I've been through and the passion that it created a by me based on what God wanted to perfect in me. I have a tremendous responsibility and a tremendous ability that God has given me that I'm extremely thankful for. And I'm extremely thankful for.

[00:26:18] So now couple that with the fact that I almost died last year. I am just so passionate and committed to. Make God not regret giving me this gift. So I know that's a long winded answer, but Yep. That's the okay. You,

[00:26:35] Scott Maderer: you can't just let that bob drop bomb drop in the middle of a, an answer and not expand on it.

[00:26:40] Almost, I, last year will happened.

[00:26:43] Felice Mathieu: Yeah. The click story was I'm ex-military, I'm a veteran, so I get my checks for your service. Thank you. I get my checks up, check. Every year you have to right to see your primary care. Yeah, my checkups are fine. Blood work was fine. Some people say it is [00:27:00] a result of Covid vaccine that happened, what I'm gonna tell you, but I don't know.

[00:27:03] I don't know. But anyways God saved me, right? Because I've been having symptoms. I'm drinking water, but I'm using a restroom, like of infant. I'm losing weight. I lost about 20 pounds. I'm not really that hungry. I always feel thirsty. And during that time I was stressing because I was trying to create, I was trying to complete a bachelor's degree within a year.

[00:27:27] During this covid thing I was really trying to put myself to work cuz I'm trying to, my wife has medical issues and she's pregnant. The finances I'm really just trying to take the man. This at this point I had a long struggle with the with the recovering from the military with injuries, and this is the point where I'm supposed to take the lead and it's so stressful.

[00:27:49] So I just thought it was just that, that's making me lose weight and all this stuff, right? So I'm driving one day and something tells me to call a friend of mine from the military. He's a good friend. [00:28:00] We don't talk often, right? Some tells me to call him like, Why? I don't I'm driving a two hour trip.

[00:28:04] No. I don't wanna call him. No, you should call him. So I call him, We talk for about an hour and a half a hour into the conversation for one minute. I say I tell him the symptoms that I've been going through. Then we change his object, get off the phone, he calls me back immediately. He says, Hey, my girlfriend's a nurse.

[00:28:22] And it sounds like you're prediabetic and it's pretty serious right now, given the symptoms, you should go to the emergency room. It had already occurred in my mind that I should check it. But I just we're men. Ah ah Tim,

[00:28:34] Scott Maderer: my wife first to that, my wife refers to that, is testosterone poisoning.

[00:28:38] Felice Mathieu: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I agree. , so anyways I listen, right? And I go, and then they have a machine that they test. The machine only goes to 600 to of blood sugar. Mine was at 600. And the guy's Wow the, This only goes up to 600. Yours at 600. I don't know anything about diabetes. Could be higher than that.

[00:28:58] Yeah. So I [00:29:00] said, What's the normal sugar? He said, Between 70 and a hundred is your normal blood sugar.

[00:29:06] Scott Maderer: Yeah. A hundred already starting to get high. 600 is really high.

[00:29:10] Felice Mathieu: So doctors immediately come. They take the blood work, they bring me in the back. She ask me if I had history of diabetes, Do I know?

[00:29:18] I said, No, I don't know anything about that. I, they would've told me at the va this and that. And they get back there. They do the blood work and everything. My sugar level was 1000. Yeah. I was like, Oh my gosh. She said to me, her exact words, I don't know how you're not in a coma right now.

[00:29:34] I have no idea. People usually get in a coma around six, 700 she said, I have no idea why you're in a com. . So yeah, that, that shook up my world that messed with my wife while she was pregnant and she was preeclamsia. It was, it really rededicated me, especially since I'm in my thirties now and most of my life, I didn't really feel led or motivated to do anything.

[00:29:58] I was still finding myself. So [00:30:00] now it's I'm my wife would say a little too focused. Cause not, I don't wanna have fun. Fun is for laser people I've just been inspired. But yeah that's what happens. And thanks for asking that.

[00:30:12] Scott Maderer: I'm glad that you are and you're doing better now though, so that the Yes, sir.

[00:30:16] I don't, the, I don't want the listeners to hear that and then go and is he okay?

[00:30:20] Felice Mathieu: Yeah. You're okay. I am better now. I just as a Haitian American. I have to give up rice for breakfast, dinner, and nuts and snacks, . But I'm doing better now, so

[00:30:30] Scott Maderer: watching you diet, you'd get to do that.

[00:30:33] Yeah. But yeah. Yeah. Yeah, when you were describing the symptoms, I was actually wondering if it was free diabetic, but didn't want to jump to the end of the story, but that it I have a little bit of, a little bit of knowledge in some of those areas from family and friends that have had that right.

[00:30:49] So what's coming next for you? What does you continue on this journey? What's on the roadmap for you?

[00:30:54] Felice Mathieu: I'm really, I'm always trying to figure out how I can serve my audience better, and now I've [00:31:00] really taken up I guess a campaign to really get on as much podcasts as I can and just share my story share how I can help and make myself available.

[00:31:10] So that's really what I've been focused on towards the end of the year.

[00:31:14] Scott Maderer: So you can find out more about Felic by following him on Facebook as marriage is one, or on Twitter is felic Matthew. That's F E L I C E M A T H I E U. Of course, I'll have links to those over in the show notes. Or most importantly, you can find out more about him, his coaching, and his book over overage marriage sharing.com, please.

[00:31:37] Is there anything else you'd like to share with the listen?

[00:31:41] Felice Mathieu: Oh, yes, it's actually married as one, not marriage as one. Oh, I'm, But , I'm sure you have the right link. Yeah, I'm sure you have the right link. I'm gonna do it again.

[00:31:50] Scott Maderer: Okay. I deleted it earlier and put it back and I probably just put it back wrong, so hang on.

[00:31:57] You can find out more about Felic by following [00:32:00] him on Facebook. As married as one, or on Twitter as fleece Matthew. That's spelled F E L I C E M A T H I E U. Of course, I have links to those over in the show notes. Or more importantly, find out more about him and his coaching and the book that he has over@marriagesharing.com.

[00:32:20] Felic, is there anything else you'd like to share with the listener?

[00:32:23] Felice Mathieu: Yeah I would just say start applying selflessness. Really start applying selflessness, really start forming habits around what, how the other person feels something should go. And if two people are doing that I think that's what God has as his plan for marriage versus two people trying to figure out how they can get what they want from other people.

[00:32:48] So really start applying that. And if you need help, right? Don't just hope things will change for the better. Reach out to great resources of people who may have something [00:33:00] or know, have a body of knowledge, or be called to do something that you may not be called to do. Inspire stewardship is a great place.

[00:33:06] I'm here, I'm available, or I could point you to somewhere. That can probably help you better than I can if it's outside of my ballpark. So the point is you don't have to silently suffer hoping for change.

[00:33:18] Scott Maderer: Thanks so much for listening to the Inspired Stewardship Podcast. As a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling. If you enjoyed this episode please do us a favor. Go over to inspired stewardship.com/.

[00:33:45] iTunes rate all one word, iTunes rate. It'll take you through how to leave a rating and review, and how to make sure you're subscribed to the podcast so that you can get every episode as [00:34:00] it comes out in your feed. Until next time, invest your. Your talent and your treasures. Develop your influence and impact the world.